Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
By Johann Christian Schröder (1655-1702) - Google Art Project, Public Domain
How can this be.... ?
St. Luke's Gospel offers us the deepest meditation that precedes Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. What are we to take from today's Gospel?
The Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to announce the birth of the one by whom everything was created, who is beyond the time and space, and who will enter our time and space. Luke 1:26, "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth." The six month is the time (history) and Nazareth is the place (geography).
Humans remain God's first concern. The message proclaimed by the angel is the salvation of God's people, not one nation but ALL nations!
The angel, God's messenger, greets Mary with a very considerate salutation. Luke translates the Nazarene way using the word "Shlomo,” which means peace (Shalom in Hebrew and Salam in Arabic) as the Greek term “Kaire,” which means Rejoice. In the Vulgate, St. Jerome translates this as Ave Maria “Hail Mary.” This Archangel comes with a proposal!
The core of this Annunciation is the dialog between the chosen Mary and the angel. For Mary to be chosen as the mother of the expected Jesus, whose "kingdom will have no end" seems wonderful, but how can this be?!
Mary is aware of the consequences of being pregnant before or outside of a legal marriage. She knows her Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 22:13-14 and 20-21, according to Biblical orders, she would be killed, stoned at the entrance of her father's house! Mary seems to remind God's angel of this Biblical teaching.
The angel responds and reassures this blessed one among women by giving her a sign that relates to her family member Elizabeth.
Mary is ready to face serious challenges that could result in being stoned at the entrance to her father's house, a question of life or death. She is teaching us that trusting God doesn't mean that we are not going to have challenges or adversities. She shows us how to rely on Him and remain faithful to Him when problems or difficulties occur in our life.
Mary consents with full trust and accepts God's proposal. From Mary, we can learn how to dialog with God, and how faith is never imposed but proposed. Likewise, love God because "God is Love.” He asks us to reciprocate this love freely.
Trust is the key to the treasure, to God's heart and to permanent reciprocated love with God in our life. Without trust, there is no shared future nor a healthy relationship with God, our partners, family members or friends.
The Son of God is promised to become Son of Man, a man like us. By His incarnation He becomes one of us, thanks to God's love and to Mary's trust and acceptance.
Do you have any questions you need to ask God? Ask with an open mind and heart, as Mary asked openly, "How can this be?”
Don't be afraid of challenges and difficulties! Don't be afraid. Trust God's grace and He will sustain you!
Let us adore Him Christ the Lord!
Father Kamal - December 20, 2020
We can't claim authorship of this but Fr. Kamal asked us to share it---
Who invented the three basic Covid rules to protect us?
Distance
Hand hygiene
Using a mask
These laws were given to the nation of Israel 3,500 years ago. Did you know? Look it up in the Bible!
EXODUS 30:18-21 - Wash your hands.
LEVITICUS 13:4, 5, 46 - If you have symptoms, keep your distance, cover your mouth and avoid contact.
LEVITICUS 13:4, 5 - Those infected must remain in quarantine for 7 to 14 days.
And there are still those who doubt that the Bible is a book of wisdom!!!
When GOD wanted to create fish, he spoke to the sea .
When GOD wanted to create trees, he spoke to the earth .
But when GOD wanted to create man, he turned to HIMSELF.
Thus GOD said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness."
Note:
If you take a fish out of the water, it will die; and when you remove a tree from the ground, it also dies. Similarly, when man disconnects from GOD, he dies. Let us remember that water without fish is still water, but fish without water are nothing. The soil without the tree is still soil but the tree without soil is nothing. God without man is still God, but man without GOD is nothing.
GOD is our natural environment. We were created to live in HIS presence. We must be connected with Him because only with Him does life exist.
Let's stay in touch with GOD.